Politics department celebrates 50th
anniversary
7 October 2011
It is one of the foremost political science departments
in the UK, with high league table rankings and an impressive number
of graduates going on to work in Westminster and Whitehall. This
academic year, the University’s Department of Politics and
International Studies celebrates its 50th
anniversary.
As part of the
anniversary celebrations a whole series of events are being planned
including an alumni reception and high profile lecture series with
guest speakers such as the Speaker of the House of Commons, John
Bercow MP and Hull West and Hessle MP and former Home Secretary,
Alan Johnson.
It all began back in 1961, when an independent
politics department was created with one professor and three
lecturers. Since then, the department has grown dramatically and
become a key player in both the study of politics and the political
life of the country.
Many graduates have gone on to prominent
careers in politics – everything from consultants, civil servants
and advisers to sitting in Parliament. Others have flourished
in the arenas of media, public affairs and Ministry of Defence and
they continue to stay in close contact with their classmates via
the Politics Graduate network. Several former members and one
current member of the Department are currently sitting in the House
of Lords, namely Lord Norton of Louth, Lord Parekh, Lord Plant of
Highfield and Baron Smith of Clifton. A number of former
students sit or have sat in the House of Commons, including John
Trickett, Tom Watson, and Tracey Crouch.
Indeed the high concentration of Hull
graduates in Westminster and Whitehall has earned them the name the
‘Hull mafia’.
The Department’s influence in politics is owed
in no small part to its popular Westminster internship programme –
in existence for more than twenty years - whereby students combine
academic work with hands-on experience gained during placements
with politicians. Prominent parliamentarians who have taken on
students include William Hague, Austin Mitchell, David Davis, and
Ed Miliband. The Department is currently expanding the programme to
include internships at organisations such as museums and public
affairs companies.
‘It promises to be a very special year for the
Department of Politics and International Studies and one that I
hope our current students and alumni will get involved in,’ said
Justin Morris who is Head of Department.
‘It will also provide us with an ideal
opportunity to show what the Department has to offer in terms of
teaching and research. We hope to encourage the next generation of
politics students to choose Hull as a springboard to success.’
Learn
more about Politics 50 on the website.
Ends.